Cañon City resident Marv Bradley, 75, runs in the Rocky Raccoon Marathon in Huntsville, Texas, a few years ago. (Marv Bradley / Special to the Daily Record)

Vote for Marv!

Cañon City resident Marv Bradley, 75, is one of 10 nationwide finalists eligible for the prestigious Richard L Swanson Inspiration Award, which will be announced in September. The award honors a member of Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness program whose healthy behavior has made a difference in his or her own life and perhaps has inspired others. Anyone may vote once a day, now through Aug. 31 at www.facebook.com/silversneakers.

Cañon City resident Marv Bradley is always on the run. If he's not at home, he's likely running a marathon in any one of the 50 United States.

Bradley, 75, actually has run a marathon or ultra-marathon in every state, not just once, but four times. That's part of the reason he has been nominated as one of only 10 finalists nationwide to receive the prestigious Richard L. Swanson Inspiration Award that honors a member of Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness program.

"It is geared for people who have been an inspiration to the community who have done something above and beyond, something extraordinary," said Anytime Fitness co-owner and operator Jennifer Fredrick. "Marv is the only Anytime Fitness member in the nation to qualify for it."

Bradley said he is humbled, and surprised, to be a finalist. Twenty-five years ago, he struggled to run a quarter of a mile, and now he is just about complete his 250th marathon.

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A year after he quit smoking cold turkey in 1989, at age 52, Bradley began walking on the Riverwalk. He started out walking two miles, roundtrip, but one day he was in a hurry, and began jogging.

"I couldn't make it a quarter of a mile," he said. "I had been walking quite a while and had gotten in better physical condition, but my lungs just wouldn't let me run."

Cañon City resident Marv Bradley, 75, center, is one of 10 nationwide finalists eligible for the prestigious Richard L. Swanson Inspiration Award that honors a member of Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness program whose healthy behavior has made a difference in his or her own life and perhaps has inspired others. He is pictured with Jennifer and Jay Fredrick, owners and operators of Anytime Fitness. (Carie Canterbury / Daily Record)

That's when he decided to start running. He eventually was able to run one mile on the trail, and then he walked the other mile back. A friend joined Bradley one day, but once they reached the one-mile turnaround point, his friend continued to run.

"I said 'I can't do that,'" Bradley said. "I didn't want to be embarrassed, so I ran the two miles."

Bradley realized he had conditioned himself to only run one mile, so he began to run more and more, a little at a time.

He ran his first marathon, 26 miles, in Steamboat Springs in 1992. To date, Bradley has ran 170 marathons and 77 ultra-marathons (more than 26 miles). His goal is to run his 250th marathon Jan. 1, 2015, in Texas.

Bradley has run in the Boston Marathon three times, and he has run seven 100-mile runs, including Leadville twice.

He ran the Dust Bowl Series, which includes five marathons in five states in five days, finishing the fifth marathon on his 75th birthday.

He tries to run a marathon every two or three weeks, train at the gym three to five days a week and run 35 to 40 miles a week.

He became a member of Anytime Fitness in 2012 to rehabilitate after a dual quadriceps injury he sustained while mountain climbing. Within six months, he was training for his next marathon.

"He is an inspiration to everyone here," said Jay Fredrick, personal trainer and Anytime Fitness co-owner and operator. "He is a shining example of it's never too late, you can always do it no matter how old or young you are or how out of shape you are."

To vote for Bradley, visit the SilverSneakers' Facebook page at www.facebook.com/silversneakers. Anyone may vote once a day, now though Aug. 31. The winner will be announced in September.

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